We Deserve Monuments by Hammonds, Jas

"An absolute must read." --Buzzfeed

"A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." --Teen Vogue

Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, the award-winning debut novel from Jas Hammonds exploring the ways racial violence can ripple down through generations.

What's more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery's mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she's turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town's most prominent family--whose mother's murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer--Avery and Simone's friendship blossoming into romance--the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery's family in ways she can't even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell--or if some things are better left buried.

Author: Jas Hammonds
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Published: 11/29/2022
Pages: 384
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.96lbs
Size: 8.38h x 5.73w x 1.22d
ISBN: 9781250816559
Age Range: 14-18

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 5
Point Value: 13
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 518474 / We Deserve Monuments

Award: Coretta Scott King Award - Winner

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2022
Publishers Weekly 10/31/2022
School Library Journal 11/01/2022 pg. 68
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2022
Booklist 11/01/2022 pg. 86
Shelf Awareness 01/02/2023
Horn Book Magazine 03/01/2023 pg. 69
BookPage 12/01/2022
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2023 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Jas Hammonds was raised in many cities and between the pages of many books. They have received support for their writing from Lambda Literary, Baldwin for the Arts, and the Highlights Foundation. They are also a grateful recipient of the MacDowell James Baldwin Fellowship. Their debut novel, We Deserve Monuments, won the 2023 Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent, among many other accolades.